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History
Penney Store Opening Tomorrow
Eastland Shopping Center Ceremonies Start at 10 A.M.
(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jan. 1, 1964, Page 68)
The huge new J.C. Penney store in the Eastland Shopping Center, just off Route 30 in McKeesport, will have its grand opening at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning.
A host of civic, community and company officials will attend ceremonies at the new retail outlet, which is by far the largest Penney store in Western Pennsylvania and is indicative of the new concept of Penney Merchandising.
New Kind of Store
"This opening will disclose a new kind of Penney's," said John T. Head, who will be manager of the store. He said vast quanities of merchandise will be shown against a dramatic and unusual setting, with the newest store fixtures, design and layout being shown.
Head described the new McKeesport Penney's at Eastland as more than five times as big as the old store in downtown McKeesport. And, he added, "it's ten times as attractive."
He pointed out that the old Downtown store, which is being closed down, covered 18,000 square feet, compared to 106,000 square feet for the new store, which will be a forerunner for Penney's future stores.
Head said the 11,000 square foot Penney store at Braddock also will be closed, in keeping with the trend toward larger units with a with a larger variety of merchandise, more central locations near main traffic arteries, and ample free parking.
However, the 113 employes of the Braddock and McKeesport stores all will be employed at the new outlet in Eastland, which will have a staff of more than 300 persons.
Clothing and soft goods lines carried at the old stores will be augmented at the Eastland store with complete lines of major home appliances --- washers, driers, deep freezers, refrigerators, ranges and dishwashers.
Penney's private label brand television sets, in portable and console models, including color TV, will be featured, along with record players, transistor radios, and stereo hi-fi.
Entirely new departments will offer sporting goods, paints, hardware, power tools, gifts, lamps, furniture, candy, and cosmetics, in addition to a year-round toy department.
Confidence in District
Store manager Head said the store is an expression of Penney's confidence in the continued growth and economic development of the McKeesport area
"We are simply keeping pace with the ever-increasing demand we have found in this area," Head said. "The Penney company has long been impressed with the great potential of the McKeesport area. We have been an integral part of the community ever since we opened our downtown store many years ago. We have served hundreds of McKeesporters and their families from the surrounding area. It became imperative to expand our facilities to meet growing needs."
Despite the new and different surroundings, Head emphasized that customers will find the same principles of quality, value, and service at the Eastland store. He said economy of operations will result in passing on lower prices to customers.
Parking for 6,000 Cars
The new Eastland Penney's, opening tomorrow at 10 a.m., will maintain regular store hours of Mondays through Saturdays 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Parking for more than 6,000 cars is available at the Eastland Shopping Center.
The store will be the 78th Penney store in Pennsylvania. The J.C. Penney Co. operates more than 1,700 stores from coast to coast, including Alaska, and is the largest retail department store chain in the nation.
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The Eastland Penney’s store that opened on Jan. 2, 1964, replaced two older locations in Braddock and McKeesport and was considered a “model” for new branches that the Texas-based retailer was opening in shopping centers across the country. (Newspaper Archives, Pennsylvania Department, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.)
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Family Men Backbone of Staff
New Penney Store To Have Excellent Management Corps
A highly trained team of energetic, well-educated young family men comprises the department management group of the new J.C. Penney store, which opens tomorrow at the Eastland Shopping Center in McKeesport, according to John T. Head, store manager.
Charles M. Harris, sales and merchandising manager, is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and lives at Clay Pike and Mockingbird Road, Irwin, with his wife, Mary, and their three children, Julie, 9; Jenny, 7, and Charles, 4. Associated with the Penney company since 1951, Harris was an Army sergeant for two years in Korea.
Jerry A. Clark, department head in charge of men's wear, first joined the Penney organization at the Downtown McKeesport Penney outlet in 1958. He is a native of Hooversville, Pa., and lives at 1213 McClelland Drive, Port Vue, with his wife, Carol, and their three children, Jeffery, 5, Pamela, 3, and Timothy, 4 months. A University of Pittsburgh graduate, Clark served two years in Germany with the U.S. Army.
Leon A. Astramecki, who joined Penney's in 1931 at Gardner, Mass., is department head in charge of piece goods, draperies, and home furnishings. He and his wife, Rose, live at 597 River Ridge Road. They are the parents of a married son, Leon Jr., and they have a one-year-old grandson, Ross. A World War II Navy veteran of the South Pacific, Astramecki is active in the Lions and the Knights of Columbus and enjoys swimming, gardening and bowling.
Earl J. Beckett, department head in charge of women's ready-to-wear, began his career with the Penney company at Ironton, O., in 1952. He and his wife, Clara, and their four children, Charles, 12; Jimmie, 10; Jennie, 10; and Penney, 7, live at 218 Thomas Drive, McKeesport. A graduate of Ashland Jr. College, where he majored in business administration and excelled in football and basketball, he enjoys golf for relaxation.
A native of Lancaster, Ohio, Edward Young, department head in charge of children's wear, joined the Penney company in 1948. He and his wife, Betty, live at 28 Easy St., Irwin, with Vickie, 12; Michael, 11; and Linda, 3. Young attended Alexander Hamilton Institute and was a parachute rigger with the U.S. Air Force. A former president of the Jaycees, he belongs to Kiwanis, is active in Boy Scout work, and paints portraits and landscapes in oil.
Starting with Penney's at Wilmington, Del., in 1957, Farrell L. Goble is department head in charge of women's furnishings and accessories at the new Eastland store. A two-year U.S. Army veteran at Ft. Lewis, in the state of Washington, Gobel lives at 62 N. Pleasant Boulevard in Irwin, with his wife, Patricia, and two-year-old Suzanne.
George E. Golden, born in Easton, Pa., is department head in charge of furniture and housewares. He started at Penney's at Germantown in 1960, and now lives at 135 Forest Court, Irwin, with his wife, Patricia, and their son, Jeffrey, 4. Golden graduated from Lafayette College, where he majored in Economics and was a member of the varsity wrestling team. He served in the Army from 1958 to 1960. As relaxation, he enjoys hunting, fishing, and woodworking.
Department head in charge of shoes, Ronald H. Burke joined the Penney company at the Eastover store, Washington, D.C., in 1961. His hometown is Jeannette, Pa., where he now lives at 619 Lewis Ave., with his wife, Helen, and their children, Carey, 3, and Ronnie, 1. A former student at Indiana State Teachers College, class of '58, Burke hunts and plays golf.
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A Job of Real Magnitude
A mass movement of men, merchandise and materials will culminate at 10 a.m. tomorrow when the new and diffeent J.C. Penney store opens at the Eastland Shopping Center in McKeesport, John T. Head, store manager, commented yesterday.
Head went on to recount some of the facts and figures on the beautiful retail establishment.
The store covers a total of 106,000 square feet. It is on two levels and has two entranceways on the upper level opening on to the mall. There are two more entrances on the lower level, which lead directly to the parking lot right back of the new store.
In constructing the new Eastland Penney's, more than 34,000 concrete blocks and 76,000 bricks were used. More than 600 tons of structural and miscellaneous steel support the new Penney's. Workmen poured 500 cubic yards of concrete for the foundation structure and flooring.
The newest-type recessed fluorescent fixtures provide interior lighting. There are more than 12,500 square feet of lighter ceiling panels throughout the handsome new store. In addition, the building includes approximately 16,000 running feet of color balanced fluorescent tubing, which require more than 150 miles of electrical wiring.
Merchandise will be attractively displayed on 864 newly-designed tables and 95 double tier dress racks. In addition, there will be 75 specially-designed wall racks around the store's perimeter for displays of men's, women's, and children's wear.
A color harmony of bone white and rich griege tones features merchandise fixtures, resulting in separate and dramatic color schemes for departments throughout the new Eastland Penney's.
Before tomorrow's opening could become a reality, members of the McKeesport store staff worked for many months, placing more than 5,000 merchandise orders with manufacturers all over the U.S. to make certain that stocks would be complete and new.
A total of 300 mannequins are used inside the store and in the attractive, well-lighted windows to display children's, men's, and women's clothing.
On the theory that satisfied employes are good employes, Penney's has provided a lounge for its staff associates in the general office section at the rear of the lower level.
Twenty major departments and 134 separate sub-divisions will provide a complete line of men's, women's, and children's clothing and shoes for every member of the family. Major home appliances, paint, hardware, power tools, toys, furniture, candy, cosmetics, greeting cards, records, color, table, portable, and console model television sets, stereo hi-fi, tape records, and transistor radios will be available.
Up-and-down escalators provide quick, comfortable service for Penney's customers. A passenger elevator has been provided for the convenience of mothers with baby carriages and for persons confined to wheelchairs.
Maximum fire protection is provided by approximately 10,000 automatic sprinkler heads throughout the store. John T. Head, who has been associated with the Penney company for 35 years, is the store manager of Eastland Penney's.
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